Radiator-assembling machine.



J. D. BEEBE.

RADIATOR ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1908.

1,025,897. I Patented May 7, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

m. w/w wawi egxwugzzz A TTORNE Y J. D. BEEBE.

RADIATOR ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1908. v 1,025,897, Patented May 7, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES.

A TTORNE Y J. D. BEEBE.

RADIATOR ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1908.

Patented May 7, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

25.3. I INVENTOR A TTORNE Y J. D. BEEBE.

RADIATOR ASSEMBLING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1908.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

MIZI

INVEN TOR A TTORNE Y Patented May 7, 1912.

JOHN D. BEEBE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN BRISGOE MANUFACTURING COM'PAN Y, OF MICHIGAN.

, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS TO 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION RADIATOR-ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Application filed September 30, 1908. Serial No. 455,438.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. BEEBE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiator-AsseInbling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved radiator assembling machine, and more particularly to a machine for use in assembling the fins and tubes of radiators for automobiles and the like, although I do not limit myself to such use as I contemplate as coming within the scope of my invention a machine for assembling fins and tubes regardless of the use to which such tubes may be put.

In the manufacture of radiators and other devices in which there is a series of tubes provided with a plurality of thin sheet metal plates, it has been the usual practice to force the fins upon the tubes, one at a time. This is necessarily a slow process and it is the object of this invention to provide a machine which will do the work in a more expeditious economical, and simple manner.

To this end the invention consists in providing suitable means for holding as many fin plates as it is desired to assemble upon the tubes and spacing these fins the desired distance apart, then forcing the tubes simultaneously through the entire stack of fins. This may be accomplished in a single 0peration, but I do not limit myself to forcing all of the tubes simultaneously through the stack as they may be forced through one at a time or the stack may be forced upon the tubes. p

The invention further consists in providing a suitable power actuated machine into which the holder may be placed and in which the tubes are held, to force said tubes and stack of fins into engagement, the one with the other in a single continuous operation, and the invention also embraces certainother new and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 a side eledetail vation of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged showing parts of. a fin holder, tube holder, and plungers with parts broken away to show the construction; Fig. 4 is an.

enlarged view of a portion of the stack of spacing plates; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the stack of spacing plates and holding frame; Fig. 6 is a section of the same on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a detail View illustrating the fins and tubes assembled;

Fig. 8 is a perspective detail showing the.

relation of the spacing plates, the fins and the shims; Fig. 9 is a perspective detail of the tank block; and Fig. 10 is a perspective detail of the securing bar for the stack of spacing plates to hold the plates together.

My invention contemplates broadly, any suitable means for holding and properly spacing a series or number of' fin plates in super-position with their perforations for receiving water tubes, in alinement, suitable means for carrying and holding a series of Water tubes in alinement, with said perforations, and suitable means for forcing said tubes through the perforations of all the fins in a continuous operation, thus greatly facilitating the work of assemblage.

As the radiating fins used in this class of devices are usually of thin sheet metal, they are easily bent and to prevent the tubes from injuring the fins when forced through the same, said fins must be rigidly supported adjacent to each hole therein, and said fins must be held apart so that when in place upon the tubes, they will be properly spaced thereon. To so hold and space the fins I have provided as shown in the accompanying drawings, a series of spacing plates a which are spaced apart a sufiicient distance by shims 6 extending along one edge of the plates to permit of the insertion within the space between their opposite edges, of the fin plates (Z, ,The free edges of the spacing plates are slot-ted inward to form comb-like plates between the teeth or fingers of which said fins are placed with their perforations in alinement'with the vertical slots formed by the spaces 0 between the alined fingers of the several plates. The series of fins are thus held with their perforations in alinement to receive the water tubes 6 which are forced endwise through the whole stack, the spacing plates firmly supporting the fins to prevent bending, and when the tubes are in place, the spacing plates may be removed by withdrawing them laterally from between the fins, as the tubes extend through the vertical slots formed by the spaces 0 between the fingers.

It will be understood that the gist of my invention consists in forming a stack of spaced fin plates and holding the same in proper position in any suitable manner so as to permit one or all of the water tubes 6 to be forced through the entire nest or stack of fins in one operation, by moving either thetubes or the stack of fins, and I do not limit myself to spacing plates.

The spacing plates a are preferably rigidly secured together with the shims between to form a holder for the fins of the desired size and form, by bolts 2 which pass through openings near the edges of the spacing plates and openings in the shims, and

also pass through openings in the top and.

bottom securing bars 3. A sufficient number of these bolts is used 'to rigidly and permanently secure the plates together and to receive and hold this plate structure, a frame 2' is provided to contain the stack when the holder is placed in the machine. This frame surrounds the finger portion of the plates and its sides form guides to en gage the ends of the fins and aline the same Within the holder.

Radiators of this class are usually provided with a top and bottom tank and in order to assemble the bottom of the top tank 16 and the top of the bottom tank 17 upon the endsof the tubes, I preferably provide perforated blocks 18 upon which these portions of the tanks are placed and these blocks then slipped in between the frame 2' and the top and bottom spacing plates of the holder. The rows of holes in said blocks aline with the spaces 0 between the fingers of the plates and thus when the tubes, are forced through their ends pass through the perforated tank portions and when the assembled tubes and fins are removed from the holder these blocks slip laterally out of the frame z' with the holder and may then be lifted from the ends of the tubes.

The tubes 6 as well as the fins are made of very light, thin metal, and therefore great care must be exercised in their assemblage with the fins. I therefore preferably provide a series of guide tubes f mounted within a suitably formed frame it which frame is adapted to be placed and held within the machine hereinafter described, directly above the frame 71 with the tubes in perfect aline, ment with the spaces 0 between the fingers of the spacing plates. I do not limit myself, however, to the use of guide tubes and their holding frame, but if used these tubes are preferably provided with a suitable arrangement such as springs g for temporarily supporting the water tubes 0 within said tubes f to prevent their slipping therefrom before the frame It is placed in position within the machine and the assemblage of tubes and fins accomplished.

As an illustration of a machine for automatically forcing all of the water tubes simultaneously through the stack of fins I have shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a machine having vertically extending parallel posts 11 connected by a suitable bed frame 2-.t at their lower ends and between which posts the frame z' with its holder of spacing plates filled with the fins, is placed and rests upon the bed frame. A detachable bar 15 serves to firmly lock said frame 1' between the posts against suitable stops 22 on the posts engaging the rear side of the frame. The tube holding frame It is also placed between the posts 11 upon the frame 1' and secured in place against the stops 21 on the posts by a detachable bar 14. Several of these tube holders and fin holders may be provided so that while the machine is operating to force the tubes through the fins other holders may be filled with the tubes and fins in readiness for placing in the machine.

Reciprocal upon an upward extension of the posts 11 is a cross head 7' to which are pivotally attached connecting rods is which rods are pivotally attached at their opposite extremities to the gears Z driven from a driving shaft 111. provided with a pinion n meshing with an intermediate gear p, the shaft q of which is provided with pinions r meshing with the gears l, the train of gears being employed to properly regulate the speed. Secured to the cross head is a plate 8 carrying a series of plungers 25 adapted to enter the upper ends of the guide tubes f and force the water tubes therefrom downward through the stack of fins between the spacing plates in the frame 2' below.

The plungers t are guided by a fixed guide bar 11 secured upon the posts 11 near the upper end of the frame it and intermediate their ends, said plungers are guided by a suitable guide bar a which is adapted to slide upon said posts toward and from the bar 4) and is limited in such movement by the rods to passing through openings in said bars to slide therethrough and secured to said bars in any suitable manner as by nuts on the ends of the rods. Said bar it is normally held at the upper end of this movement to guide the plungers intermediate their ends by cords 3/ attached at one end thereto and passed over pulleys 2 on the frame, weights w being attached to the opposite ends of the cords. \Vhen the crosshead is lowered, its plate 8 will come into contact with the bar a at mid-stroke and carry said bar downward with it against buckling intermediate their ends and are guided into the openings in the frame it by the bar 2:.

The plungers are preferably provided with reduced lower ends or pilots 12 forming a shoulder 13 'toengage the end of the Water tubes, the pilot being of a diameter to enter said tubes. The. plungers t, the water tubes e within the guide tubes f, and the perforations of the fins d a're'held in perfect alinement in the machine so that as the cross head 7' descends the Water tubes will be forced out of the guide tubes through suitable guide openings in the top of the frame 2' downward through the openings in the block 18 and on downward between the perforations in the several fin plates and into the holes in the block 18 holding the lower tank top 17.

When the radiator to be formed is made without upper right angle corners, the frame 2' is correspondingly filled in at these corners which may be provided with guide tubes 23 and alined holes in the frame to guide the water tubes as they pass downward through the fins. Suitable filling blocks 20 provided with holes alining with the tubes 23 may also be placed within the frame 2' at the corners to form guides to aline the fins when they are placed between the spacing plates.

If found necessary the free ends of the fingers of the spacing plates a may be supported against bending when the tubes are forced through the fins by providing a notched bar 19 to engage their outer ends.

What I claim as my invent-ion is:

1. An apparatus for assembling fins and tubes, comprising a holder for spacing a series of fins, a holdeFfor a series of tubes, and a series of reciprocable plungers to simultaneously force said tubes from thetube holder through all of the fins in the fin holder in one movement of the plunger.

2. An apparatus" for assemblingfins and tubes comprising a holder adapted to hold a series of perforated fins in spaced relation with their perforationsin alinement, a guide tube adapted to hold a tube in alinement with the alined perforations, and a reciprocable plunger adapted to pass into the guide 'tube to force the tube therefrom into the machine frame, a removable frame adapted to be supported by the machine frame, a series ofv retaining tubes supported by the removable frame to carry the Water tubes, means for supporting fins, and means adapted to be projected into the retaining tubes to force the water tubes therefrom and through the fins.

4. An apparatus for assembling a series of radiator fins and tubes comprising a machine frame, means on the frame for spacing and holding .in' spaced relation a series of perforated fins with their perforations in alinement, a removable frame adapted to be secured upon the machine frame and provided with a series of retaining tubes to receive the water tubes, yielding means within the retaining tubes to engage and hold the water tubes, and" means on the machine frame for forcing the Water tubes from the retaining tubes.

5. An apparatus for assembling a series of radiator fins and tubes comprising means for holding the series of fins, a removable frame to carry the tubes, and means for forcing the gubes from the frame through the series of 6. An apparatus for assembling a series of radiator fins and tubes comprising a machine frame, a removable frame adapted to be supported by the machine frame and provided with guide tubes to carry the tubes to be engaged with the fins, a removable frame provided with spacing members for holding the series of fins in alinement with said guide tubes, and a series of reciprocable plungers for forcing the tubes from the guide tubes through the fins.

7. An apparatus for assembling radiators comprising a machine frame, a holder removably supported by the machine frame and having means for spacing a series of fins and a member for holdin a tank portion in 105 spaced relation to said ns, and means for forcing a series of tubes through the fins and tank portion held by said holder.

8. An apparatus for assembling radiators comprising a machine frame, means on the 110 machine frame for holding the series of perforated fins in spaced relation with their perforations in alinement, a removable member on the frame for holding a perforated tank portion with its perforations in aline- 115 ment with the perforations of the fins and spaced therefrom, and means on the frame for forcing a series of tubes through said fins and tank portion while so held.

9. An apparatus for assembling radiator 1 parts comprising means for holding a series of perforated fins in spaced -relation with their perforations in alinement, a member having a series of holes adapted to be placed within a formed tank portion having per- 12 forations alining with the holes in saidmemher, and means for holding said member with its holes alined with the perforations in the fins.

10. An apparatus for assembling radiator 130 fins and tubes comprising a machine frame, a cross head reciprocable upon said machin frame, a series of plungers carried by said head, means for holding a series of fins in spaced relation, a frame for holding said means adapted to be detaehably secured to the machine frame to hold said series of fins in alinement with said plungers, and a detachable holder for a series of tubes adapted to be detachably secured to the machineframe to hold the tubes in alinement with said plungers and fins.

11. In a machine of the character described, a machine frame, a fin holder detachably supported by the machine frame comprising spacing members and a frame surrounding said members provided with openings in one side in alinement wit-h the spaces between said spacing members, a Water tube holder detachably supported by the machine frame and consisting of a frame and a series of retaining tubes therein extending through the frame and adapted to aline with the openings in the frame of the fin holder, and a series of reciprocable plungers adapted to be projected through the guide tubes of the tube holder to force the water tubes therefrom.

12. In a machine of the character described, a machine frame, a cross head reand adapted to space and hold in spaced relation a series of fins, a tube holder detachably supported by the machine frame adjacent to the fin holder and provided with a series of guide tubes to hold the water tubes in alinement with the perforations 0f the fins in the fin holder, a fixed guide for the plungers adjacent to the tube holder, and a movable guide to support the plungers intermediate their ends.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in presence of two witnesses. JOHN D. BEEBE. Vitnesses N. S. WRIGHT, G. E. McGnANN. 

